Pasco School District to seek replacement levy on April 28 ballot after narrow February loss

Pasco School District has placed a replacement school levy on the April 28 special-election ballot after a narrow defeat in a February vote, the district announced in an informational statement.

The levy measure, which would replace a four‑year levy that expires in December 2026, was rejected in February by a slim margin — 49.73% in favor versus 50.27% opposed — a difference of 59 votes, the district said. The board voted to resubmit the measure for the April 28 election; the district said the total amount requested will not change and gave an estimated rate of $28 per $1,000 of assessed property value. "A $28 por cada $1,000, una vivienda de $400,000 aportan unos $32 al año," the Pasco School District representative said.

The district said approval of the replacement levy would make Pasco eligible for state local‑effort assistance (LEA) and that the levy represents roughly $50 million in funds intended to support students across the district. "Si los votantes aprueban el impuesto, el distrito también es elegible para recibir la ayuda por esfuerzo local del Estado," the district representative said.

Why it matters: District officials told listeners the levy funds programs and positions not fully covered by state allocations, including nurses, counselors, school resource officers, paraeducators, technology, elective courses, extracurricular activities and day‑to‑day operations such as building maintenance and bus fleets. The district said roughly 50% of its funding comes from the state for basic education, about one‑third from restricted state and federal programs, local levy revenue around 10% and LEA about 3%, with levy plus LEA totaling roughly 13% of the district budget.

Consequences if it fails: The district warned that failure to pass the levy — and thus to qualify for LEA — would reduce local revenues and the state LEA contribution. The district estimated that loss at nearly $50 million a year and said that equates to about 500 positions that could be affected. Those cuts, the district said, would likely affect classroom support, health and safety staffing and extracurricular programs.

Election details and voting advice: The district said ballots for the April 28 election will be mailed no later than April 7 and urged voters to mail early or use drop boxes. It noted that in the prior election 267 ballots were not counted because they lacked timely postmarks, a caution the district used to emphasize using reliable return methods.

What voters asked and the district answered: The district emphasized the measure is a replacement levy not a new tax, noted that the amount a district may collect is limited to the total approved by voters (so new housing does not automatically increase the district’s take), and said turnout in February was about 25% of registered voters. The district also compared Pasco’s levy collections with neighboring districts named in the statement.

The district provided a QR code and an online form for questions and urged residents to cast ballots by April 28.